and All the Colors

Ian Moore | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B00004LMMK
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,766 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Blues Rock

Track Listings

1. Float Away

2. Room 229

3. Magdelena

4. Johnny Cash and His Electric Bible

5. Coming Around

6. Retablo

7. Rollercoaster

8. Ocean Size

9. Angelyne

10. Leary's Gate

11. Closer

12. Time of Dying

13. Fickle

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Groomed by his former label to be the Texas blues-rock heir apparent to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ian Moore instead severed those ties and gratifyingly veered onto a musical road less traveled. Guitar heroics are still present, though they're no longer Moore's raison d'être. It's tempting to make Hendrix comparisons (especially on "Johnny Cash and His Electric Bible" and the transcendent "Leary's Gate"), but only if it's also noted that Jimi's tastes and influences were historically much broader than the stereotype of him usually allows. Colors is an adventurous musical melange that, like the brief utopian pop era it evokes, samples freely from a heady variety of influences ranging from blues and soul to folk and classical, seasoned with a sly dedication to melodic song craft. Moore has claimed as musical inspiration the modern synthesis of style and technology fashioned by Los Lobos, the Latin Playboys, and Daniel Lanois. Here he may have just done them all one better. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Wait, March 25, 2000

By 

Jeff Dudas (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: and All the Colors (Audio CD)

It has taken a full 5 years for this album to appear, but it is well worth the wait. On his Modernday Folklore album (Capricorn, 1995), Ian Moore made significant musical strides away from the predominantly blues-rock feel of his debut (the self-titled release from 1993) and towards an original synthesis of pop, rock, jazz, soul, and (of course) blues. The best songs on that album ("Today", "Daggers", and "Morning Song") suggested a more ethereal, if still grounded, sound that showcased Moore's songwriting and vocal talents as much as his exemplary guitar playing. Following his release from Capricorn, Moore relased Ian Moore's Got the Green Grass (1997) - an album that continued to explore those non-guitar centric aspects of his work. With Green Grass under his belt, Moore's live shows in anticipation of And All the Colors (punctuated by a series of riveting solo acoustic performances) revealed the degree to which Moore had become one of the most underappreciated lyricists and vocalists of his era - possesing an extraordinary vocal range and control that at once referenced Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Buckley. It is against this backdrop that And All the Colors appears. Easily Moore's strongest work to date, one can only hope that this album reaches the widest possible audience. "Float Away", "Johnny Cash and his Electric Bible", and "Leary's Gate" are charecterized by barely controlled electonic hysteronics from which beautifully crafted melodies somehow still emerge. "Magdelena", "Closer", "Angelyne", and "Oceansize" indulge Moore's fascination with borders (geographic and otherwise) that at once seperate and unite people. Along these lines, "Retablo" is as good a song about metaphysical emptiness as any written this decade. Finally, "Time of Dying", which builds to an irresistible bagpipe crescendo (trust that it works), couples with Steve Earle's "Ellis Unit #9" to explore the usually neglected side of legally sanctioned death - from the viewpoint of the executioner rather than the victim. In all, the 13 songs that make up And All the Colors offer to the listener things that are rare in these days of corporately manufactured pop bubblegum - integrity, vision, and challenge.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Moore finding his range, August 7, 2001

By 

Hugh S Richardson (Bozeman, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: and All the Colors (Audio CD)

Somehow, Ian Moore's early public music efforts were Texas country-blues, and he is only now really finding his own voice. I've listened to this a lot for the last year, and it just gets better and better. Thats pretty much my standard for really good music. Its a little hard to label stylistically, since he draws from a wide variety of music, but I'd say he fills the space between Los Lobos and Jeff Buckley. More rock-art than Los Lobos, less fragile than Jeff Buckley. And he's got just a fantastic sense of rock dynamics, like Led Zep or Straitjacket Fits. There are pop songs presented with a murky buzz, like Float Away and Rollercoaster, beautiful ethereal songs - Magdelena and Coming Around, and a rock epic with an Eastern vibe in Leary's Gate. I see some similarities to U2, the Edge-like guitar-scapes, although Ian's are much denser, and check the backing vocals on Magdelena, Love! I am also reminded of Ben Harper on occassion, that South West vibe in amongst the blues rock. Another thing I like about this is that its emotionally evocative without being angst-ridden. So you can enjoy it even if you are in a good mood! Its alternative rock with a bunch of new flavors, and really great song writing, musicianship, and vocals. Spare no effort to see him live, I stumbled across him in Bozeman, and saw him in Seattle, and I feel privileged to have seen shows that great in small bar venues. Catch it before he's filling stadiums! Anyway, if you're getting bored with the standard FM radio fare, and want something a bit more rewarding, then give this a try. The only problem is it'll make most of your CD collection obsolete!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something New and Original, January 10, 2001

By 

Maureen (Lousiville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: and All the Colors (Audio CD)

The music world has been invaded today by manufactured "popstars" who lack the musical talent that our music industry once boasted. But Ian Moore proves to be a promising talent, with such original music and a new approach. I worked in a coffee shop in Louisville, KY the summer of 2000 and Ian Moore and his band came in for some breakfast before they headed on to their next stop. They were so friendly and gave me and my coworker each a copy of their cd. We immediately put it in the store cd player and I fell in love! When artists can write their own music and express themselves so beautifully, it is an amazing talent. But more importantly, one song on the cd does not sound like the next; each song has its own distinct sound. And even more impressive is the fact that every song is actually good...not just a few of them. The variety of musical instruments Ian uses is so cool and fresh! The instrumental intros to many of the songs are smooth and immediately catch your attention. Ian Moore is definitely for people who appreciate music for the art that it is.